I was reading some books called Circe and song of Achilles and I was surprised by some of the cultural comments I was unaware of. Such as achilles being first man and the nuances of it all. I was wondering how much of Trojan war era Greek culture found its way to Greeks during the Peloponnesian war? What differences were there?
Trojan war era, Bronze age, Greeks had trade with people from around the Mediterranean and even the British isles, as this is one of the places they got tin for making bronze. The end of the bronze age in about 1100BCE is marked by the collapse of trade amongst the civilizations of that region. But as that period ends around 800 BCE we start seeing trade develop once more.
By the Archaic period we see art again in the form of pottery and statuary, this is a good sign for developing cultures as it shows that they are doing more then just trying to survive. At this stage the area that would be Greece is a amalgamation of kingdoms with no real central structure, though Athens did hold a lot of power.
By the classical period we see Greece solidify into a unit brought on in part by the Peloponnesian war. This was a turning point leading the way for the Greek empire. The classical period shows major developments in areas of government and the growth of the nation.
Both periods have a culture that is secure. However the bronze age was looked at by later Greeks as a time when gods walked the Earth and had the power to manipulate events. I personally don't believe the Trojan war was a real event, but rather a foundation myth for the people of Greece. No one believes that Romulus and Remus were nursed by a she wolf before founding Rome, so why do we believe a mythic war occurred. I'm not saying that no wars were fought in Anatolia, but that the Trojan war is just myth. Sorry for the rant, it's just something that bugs me.